What We Do

For the latest information please visit the Government’s website.

North East Economic Response

A staged economic recovery plan prepared by the North East COVID-19 Economic Response Group has secured region-wide support as leaders look to introduce measures that build confidence, stabilise the economy and help our businesses, sectors and places adapt to the ‘new normal’.

The Group, which comprises the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), North East and North of Tyne Combined Authorities, the CBI on behalf of business, North East Joint Transport Committee and regional universities, has joined forces to plot the economic recovery of the region.

You can view the summary report here.

NTCA Capacity Fund

The Combined Authority has pledged £5 million to help businesses and communities in the North of Tyne respond to Covid-19.

Grants of around £1.5 million have been offered from the NTCA Covid-19 Capacity fund to Northumberland County Council, North Tyneside Council, and Newcastle City Council to meet the need they see locally.

For more details about the NTCA Covid-19 Capacity fund visit the full news article here, or follow the business and community help below.

For the North East Growth Hub Covid Toolkit, click here

For business help in Northumberland, click here

For community help in Northumberland, click here

For business help in Newcastle, click here

For community help in Newcastle, click here

For business help in North Tyneside, click here

For community help in North Tyneside, click here

Additional Advice for Businesses

The North East Growth Hub has provided a COVID-19 Toolkit to help businesses plan for and respond to the virus.

Government support for businesses

The Chancellor has set out a package of measures to support businesses through disruption caused by COVID-19. This includes:

• Statutory Sick Pay relief package for SMEs
• 12-month business rates holiday for all retail, hospitality and leisure businesses in England
• small business grant funding of £10,000 for all business in receipt of small business rate relief or rural rate relief
• grant funding of £25,000 for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses with property with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000
• Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme offering loans of up to £5 million for SMEs through the British Business Bank
• new lending facility from the Bank of England to help support liquidity among larger firms, helping them bridge coronavirus disruption to their cash flows through loans
• HMRC Time To Pay Scheme
• reassurance that businesses that have insurance for both pandemics and government-ordered closure should be covered
• relaxation of planning rules so pubs and restaurants can operate as hot food takeaways during the coronavirus outbreak

For more information about these measures, including eligibility requirements, please visit the COVID-19: support for businesses page on the Government’s website.

Guidance for staff

The Government’s national advice for staff, including on working from home and sick pay, can be found on its COVID-19: guidance for employees page.

Coronavirus Act 2020

In response to COVID-19, the government have introduced the Coronavirus Act 2020. The new regulations relieve local authorities from the statutory requirement to hold an annual meeting.

In line with these regulations, please note that the North of Tyne Combined Authority have taken the decision to defer its Annual Meeting. This verdict was made following on from the postponement of the Constituent Authorities’ annual meetings.

Under the regulations, local and combined authorities are not required to hold their annual meeting until 7 May 2021.  However, the combined authority is planning to hold its annual meeting before this date. Appointments which would otherwise have been made at the annual meeting will continue until the next annual meeting or until such time as the authority may determine.